Numerical investigation of the influence of kinetics and shape factor on barium sulfate precipitation in a continuous stirred tank

The effect of kinetics and shape factor on barium sulfate precipitation in a continuous stirred tank has been investigated numerically through solving the standard momentum and mass transport equations in combination with the moment equations for crystal population balance. The numerical method was validated with the literature data. The simulated results include the distribution of the local supersaturation ratio in the reactor, the mean crystal size, and the coefficient of variation. The simulation results show that the value of shape factor used in the model affected greatly the mean crystal size and the moments of the crystal size distribution. The influence of the kinetic expressions on the simulation is also analyzed. It is important to investigate the relationship of the shape factor with the precipitator type and other operation conditions to obtain reliable simulation results and suitable kinetic equations of crystal nucleation and growth rates. © Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2009.